Dmytro Zakharov

The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on the financial performance of listed industrial companies in Oman. As the main research method, panel data regression analysis was used to analyze data from 36 Omani industrial companies, listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange for the period 2017–2021. Three regression models were developed using three dependent variables (Return on Assets, Return on Equity, Return on Sales), seven independent variables (Board Size, Independent and Non-executive Board Members, Board Meeting, Chief Executive Officer, Dummy variable for Board Change, Dummy variable for the Secretary on the Board, Dummy variable for Internal Auditor), and two control variables (Leverage, Size of the company). According to the research results, a negative influence of the Board Size and Dummy variable for the presence of the Secretary on the Board on the Return on Assets indicator at 10% and 5% significance level was found; moreover, there is a positive influence of Leverage and Size of the company at the 1% and 5% significance level on Return of Assets. Although, none of the independent variables used has a significant impact on the Return on Equity indicator. Return on Sales is significantly affected only by two control variables, i.e., a negative impact of Leverage at the 10% significance level and a positive impact of the Size of the company at the 10% significance level. The results obtained in the study indicate the imperfection of the corporate governance mechanisms implemented by Omani industrial companies in the field of ensuring financial efficiency.

The article aims to investigate, using the VAIC and MVAIC models, the impact of intellectual capital on the financial performance of Omani companies listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange from 2017 to 2021. Regression analysis revealed a significant positive influence of VAIC and MVAIC only on the Asset Turnover Ratio at a 10% significance level. This suggests that an increase in VAIC or MVAIC by one unit could lead to a respective increase in earnings for Omani listed industrial companies by 0.0017 and 0.0016. However, the overall impact of VAIC and MVAIC on financial performance appears limited, necessitating measures for enhanced efficacy. Moreover, company size and leverage were found to significantly influence EBITDA and Return on Assets, suggesting the positive effect of increased activity and resource utilization. Conversely, Return on Customer Equity negatively affected only Asset Turnover Ratio, implying that investments in marketing and advertising may not significantly enhance financial performance. Human Capital Efficiency showed no significant impact on financial performance measures, highlighting the necessity for Omani industrial enterprises to focus on enhancing employee skills and experience for improved value-creation processes. These findings underscore the intricate relationship between intellectual, physical, and financial capital in shaping financial performance, necessitating targeted strategies for enhancement. Further analysis of suggested models indicated the significance of company size on EBITDA, highlighting the importance of scaling activities for performance improvement. VAIC and MVAIC structural elements showed mixed results, while Capital Employed Efficiency negatively affected Return on Equity, Structural Capital Efficiency positively impacted EBITDA and Asset Turnover Ratio.

The purpose of the paper is to study the impact of corporate sustainability practices on the financial performance of companies included in the BIST Sustainability 25 Index. To assess the efficiency and quality of corporate sustainability, general (ESG Disclosure Index) and partial (Environmental Disclosure Index, Social Disclosure Index, and Corporate Governance Disclosure Index) indices were used, calculated based on content analysis of sustainability reports. Based on the two given types of indices and four types of financial performance indicators (return on assets, return on equity, assets turnover ratio, and Tobin’s Q), two types of regression models (GEN models and PART models) were built, and eight analytical models were examined. Company size and leverage were included as control variables in each model. The regression analysis results were contradictory, partially confirming the conclusions of some scientists and refuting the findings of others. A study of GEN models revealed that companies implementing more effective general corporate sustainability practices have a significant positive impact only on return on equity; as for other measures (return on assets, assets turnover ratio, and Tobin’s Q), an insignificant relationship between them and ESG Disclosure Index was found. Results of the PART models analysis revealed a significant positive effect of the Social Disclosure Index on return on equity and assets turnover ratio and a negative relationship between the Corporate Governance Disclosure Index and assets turnover ratio. Using control variables for the two types of models showed a significant negative effect of company size on Tobin’s Q.

Acknowledgment
This study was supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ukraine within the project “Development of a mechanism for the sustainable development of economic systems in the conditions of military operations and post-war recovery of the economy” (Registration number of the project: 0124U000463).

The article explores social capital and its impact on economic development. This paper aims to analyze the role of trust in the process of growth and economic development. The interdependence of GDP per capita and trust level as an element of social capital has been analyzed. The correlation between trust and GDP per capita in 43 countries has been reflected. World Values Survey (WVS) was used to obtain empirical trust data. To determine the relationship between confidence level and GDP per capita, the correlation model was built. The regression coefficient b = 0.834 shows the average change in the effective indicator. Thus, with an increase of 1 unit of trust, GDP per capita rises by an average of 0.834. The coefficient of determination indicates that 60.68% of cases of changes in trust lead to a change in GDP per capita. The result suggests that trust serves as a tool in assisting the economic growth and company’s value. The study examines the tools that help to build trust, as economic development as a whole depends on it.

Type of the article: Research Article

Ukrainian transfer pricing legislation demonstrates a significantly higher level of regulatory complexity than international OECD standards, creating a disproportionate burden on the accounting and reporting system. The study aims to quantify the regulatory burden generated by the complexity of Ukrainian transfer pricing legislation through a computational linguistic analysis of its algorithmic characteristics in comparison with international OECD standards. The research methodology is based on Halstead metrics to calculate the algorithmic complexity of regulatory texts, considered as formal structures with the distribution of lexical units into operators and operands. The computational assessment reveals that Ukrainian transfer pricing regulations demonstrate algorithmic complexity 10 to 37 times higher than OECD standards, as the complexity index (L) for Article 39 of the Tax Code of Ukraine equals 2.742 percent versus 0.148 percent for OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines, while Law of Ukraine No. 4536-IX (Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 2023) reaches 5.455 percent, exceeding international benchmarks by 37 times. This excessive complexity directly affects accounting practices, requiring additional resources for recordkeeping, increasing internal control requirements, and increasing the risk of financial reporting errors. The empirical findings demonstrate that excessive algorithmic density directly increases compliance costs for accounting departments, requiring additional resources for interpretation, documentation, and internal control. The study provides quantitative evidence supporting the necessity of systematic simplification of national transfer pricing regulations.